GIFT  OF 


'A 


Rural  School  Sanitation 


Prepared  By 


N.  C.  Macdonald,  M.  A. 

State  Inspector  of  Consolidated,  Graded  and  Rural  Schools  for   the 
State  of  North  Dakota. 


Published  by  the  State  Board  of  Education, 
of  North  Dakota,  December,  1913. 


JOURNAL   PUBLISHING   CO. 
DEVSLS  LAKE,  N.  D. 

STATE   PRINTERS 
1913 


Rural  School  Sanitation 


Prepared   By 


N.  C.  Macdonald,  M.  A. 

State  Inspector  of  Consolidated,  Graded  and  Rural  Schools  for  the 
State  of  North  Dakota. 


Published  by  the  State  Board  of  Education, 
of  North  Dakota,  December,  1913. 


JOURNAL   PUBLISHING   CO. 
DEVILS  LAKE,  N.  D. 

STATE  PRINTERS 

1913 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

Introduction   r 3 

I— Lighting 3 

2 — Heating  and  Ventilating 4 

(1)  The  steam  plant 4 

(2)  The  hot  air  plant 5 

(3)  The  jacketed  heater 6 

3 — Closets  or  outhouses 7 

(1)  Outside  closets    8 

(2)  Inside  closets   8 

4— Water    ....." 9 

(1)  The  closed  vessel  and  individual  cup 9 

(2)  The  sanitary  fountain 9 

5 — General  sanitary  provisions 9 

(1)  Screens. 9 

(2)  Floors 9 

(3)  Desks  and  seats 9 

(4)  Wash   room 10 

(5)  Hot  lunch   10 

(6)  Recreation    10 

(7)  Medical  inspection   10 

(8)  The  school  building 10 


INTRODUCTION 


Health  is  the  most  priceless  possession  of  childhood;  for 
without  it  in  youth  there  can  be  no  men  and  women  of  strong 
character  and  trained  intelligence.  It  would  be  better  far  that 
the  child  grew  up  in  blissful  ignorance  of  men  and  letters  than 
that  his  health  should  be  permanently  injured.  Yet  in  many 
rural  schools,  the  health  of  children  is  seriously  impaired.  The 
poorly  ventilated,  improperly  heated  and  lighted  room,  is  some- 
times sufficient  to  break  down  the  constitution  of  the  most  ro- 
bust man  or  woman  who  may  preside  as  teacher.  I  have  known 
several  cases.  This  being  the  effect  upon  the  adult,  the  ques- 
tion naturally  arises  as  to  what  must  be  the  effect  upon  that 
young  and  growing  body.  Then  there  are  some  other  condi- 
tions that  affect  adversely  the  health  of  children;  for  there  are 
unsanitary  closets,  drinking  utensils  and  seats.  I  wish  at  this 
place  to  make  a  few  suggestions  and  recommendations  that 
from  experience  and  study,  I  believe,  are  practicable  and  neces- 
sary for  the  conservation  of  the  health  of  children. 


i.     Lighting. 

Some  children  enter  school  with  normal  eyesight  to  leave  it 
with  eyesight  seriously  injured.  Rarely  does  prolonged  study 
do  this,  but  study  under  adverse  conditions  often  does.  The 
light  should  come  from  one  side.  This  should  be  the  left  for 
the  pupils.  The  best  light  is  from  the  north,  for  it  is  mild  and 
soothing  to  the  nerves  and  eyes  of  children.  The  lighting  area 
should  be  at  least  20  per  cent  of  the  floor  space  There  should 
always  be,  however,  some  window  space  to  admit  sunlight 
from  the  east  or  west  for  purposes  of  air  purification.  The 
windows  on  the  left  side  should  be  wide  and  deep.  This  means 
that  they  should  be  at  least  three  feet  in  width  and  extend  from 
the  ceiling  to  within  about  three  feet  of  the  floor.  This  is  to 
give  sufficient  light  to  the  pupils  and  a  chance  to  rest  eyes  and 
minds  by  looking  out  into  the  fields  or  roads  or  into  the  sky. 
Shades  should  be  green  in  color  and  should  be  hung  from  the 
top  and  not  the  bottom;  for  they  are  not  to  hinder  vision  from 


RURAL  SCHOOL  SANITATION 


within  or  without,  but  to  regulate  the  amount  of  light.  Black- 
boards should  be  arranged  so  as  to  prevent  a  glare  from  their 
surface.  This  calls  for  good  blackboards  properly  placed.  The 
best  and  cheapest  in  the  end  is  slate  which  should  be  placed  as 
far  as  possible  directly  in  front  of  the  pupils.  Books  and  fur- 
niture should  have  smooth  or  dull  surfaces  and  not  polished  or 
glazed. 


2.     Heating  and  Ventilating. 

There  is  probably  no  one  piece  of  apparatus  in  the  school 
that  has  more  to  do  with  the  success  of  the  pupil  than  has  the 
heating  and  ventilating  system  in  use.  There  is  no  natural 
element  more  essential  to  good  health  than  an  abundance  of 
fresh  air.  This  is  particularly  true  for  children  and  yet  great 
numbers  of  them  are  often  deprived  of  it.  Some  school  build- 
ings seem  to  be  ventilated  on  the  principle  that  air  was  made  to 
eat  instead  of  to  breathe,  or  in  other  words,  they  are  not  ven- 
tilated at  all.  The  ideal  condition  would  of  course  be  for 
children  to  do  all  of  their  play  and  work  in  the  open  air.  This 
would  be  the  best  system  of  ventilation.  But  children  cannot 
always  be  out  playing  and  working  in  the  open  air.  The  next 
best  system  is  that  of  the  open  door  and  windows.  Yet  this, 
too,  can  be  used  only  for  limited  periods  during  a  portion  of 
the  fall  and  spring  months.  But  no  matter  what  kind  of  mod- 
ern system  of  ventilation  is  used,  the  rooms  should  be  flushed 
with  fresh  air  by  means  of  the  open  door  and  window  5  or  6 
times  each  day  and  the  children  and  teacher  should  go  out  to 
play  during  the  intermissions.  However,  rooms  must  be  arti- 
fically  heated  and  ventilated  in  a  climate  such  as  ours  for  the 
major  portion  of  the  school  year;  and  here  I  shall  briefly  de-; 
scribe  three  of  the  most  common  systems  of  heating  and  ven- 
tilating for  use  in  rural,  graded  and  consolidated  schools. 

(i)  The  Steam  Plant.  For  purposes  of  heating  and  ven- 
tilating, this  is  practicable  in  buildings  of  three  or  more  rooms; 
and  when  used  the  fan  system  of  ventilating  should  be  installed. 
However,  the  gravity  system  of  ventilating  can  be  used,  and 
when  it  is,  the  following  requirements  should  be  observed: 

(a)  Fresh  Air  Flue.  Fresh  air  should  be  admitted  through 
a  stack  of  coils  that  provides  at  least  60  square  feet  of  radia- 
tion for  every  square  foot  of  cross-section  area  of  fresh  air 
flues.  The  fresh  air  should  be  delivered  into  the  rooms  at 


STATE   OF   NORTH    DAKOTA 


about  7  feet  above  the  level  of  the  floor.  In  no  case  should  the 
fresh  air  be  admitted  through  registers  in  the  floor;  for  here 
the  air  is  cool  and  foul  and  will  therefore  pollute  and  cool  the 
fresh  air  before  it  is  used.  The  fresh  air  flues  should  have  a 
cross-section  area  of  at  least  one  square  foot  for  each  group  of 
ten  children. 

(b)  Foul  Air  Flue.  The  foul  air  flue  should  be  on  the 
same  side  as  the'  fresh  air  flue,  have  the  same  cross-section 
area,  and  remove  the  air  at  the  level  of  the  floor.  It  should  be 
provided  with  at  least  30  square  feet  of  steam  coils  to  insure 
an  upward  movement.  In  no  case  should  the  foul  air  be  re- 
turned to  the  basement,  but  it  should  be  taken  up  and  outside. 
When  not  more  than  two  rooms  are  used,  the  foul  air  may  be 
removed  as  in  the  case  of  the  hot  air  plant,  otherwise  there 
should  be  especially  constructed  foul  air  flues. 

(2)  The  Hot  Air  Plant.  For  a  one  or  a  two  room  school 
building,  this  is  more  economical  than  the  steam  plant  and  if 
properly  installed  is  just  as  serviceable.  Within  the  past  two 
years,  I  have  seen  9  of  these  plants  in  use  in  the  rural  schools 
but  there  were  only  two  that  I  could  pass.  The  same  propor- 
tion held  for  graded  and  consolidated  schools.  The  aim  of  the 
contractor  or  selling  agent  seemed  to  be  to  heat  the  building 
at  any  cost  regardless  of  the  health  of  its  occupants  Thus 
there  were  no  fresh  air  flues  while  the  foul  air  flues  conveyed 
the  air  back  to  the  furnaces.  For  the  lack  of  a  better  name,  I 
have  described  this  most  vicious  method  of  non-ventilation  as 
the  "death  circle  system."  The  air  is  taken  from  the  school- 
rooms to  the  furnace  where  it  is  heated,  sent  back  to  the  rooms 
where  the  children  breathe  it;  and  where  some  fill  it  with  all 
kinds  and  numbers  of  disease  germs.  This  air  is  then  taken  to 
the  furnace  to  be  again  heated,  but  just  enough  to  make  the 
germs  multiply  more  rapidly  and  be  more  active  than  before, 
when  the  air  with  its.  messengers  of  sickness  and  death  is  seat 
back  to  the  rooms.  A  more  vicious  system  could  hardly  be  de- 
vised. If  properly  constructed  and  installed  and  cared  for,  how- 
ever, the  hot  air  plant  is  a  serviceable  system  of  heating  and 
ventilating.  When  used  the  following  requirements  should  be 
observed : 

(a)  Fresh  Air  Flue.  The  fresh  air  flues  should  have  a 
cross-section  area  of  at  least  one  square  foot  for  each  group  of 
ten  children,  and  should  take  the  air  directly  from  the  outside 
to  the  furnace.  The  warm  fresh  air  flue  should  be  of  the  same 


RURAL  SCHOOL  SANITATION 


dimensions  and  should  take  the  air  into  the  room  at  about  seven 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  floor.  In  no  case  should  the  air  come 
in  through  a  register  in  the  floor. 

(b)  Foul  Air  Flue.     The  foul  air  flue  should  connect  with 
the  ventilating  flue  in   the  chimney  and  its   cross-section   area 
should  be  that  of  the  fresh  air  flues.     In  no  case  should  the  foul 
air  be  returned  to  the  furnace  or  basement  to  mix  with  the  fresh 
air. 

(c)  Chimney.    The  chimney  should  be  built  from  the  ground 
up,  and  should  be  flush  with  the  building,  that  is,  not  more  than 
one  side  should  be  exposed.     It  should  be  sufficiently  large  on 
the  inside   to   allow  for  a   ten-inch   metal   stack   for  the   entire 
length,  and  in  addition  20x20  inches  should  be  allowed  for  each 
room.     Chimneys  with  double  bricked  flues  or  with  tile  stacks 
will  not  heat  the  flues  sufficiently  to  cause  an  upward  move- 
ment of  the  foul  air.     When  two  foul  air  flues  open  into  the 
chimney,  on  the  same  floor,  there  should  be  a  partition  extend- 
ing up  about  four  or  five  feet  in  order  to  prevent  a  cross-current 
between  the  rooms    The  foul  air  exits  must  also  be  on  the  same 
side  as  the  fresh  air  flue  openings. 

(d)  Humidifier.     There  should  be  some  suitable  vessel  to 
hold  a  sufficient  supply  of  water  to  furnish  the  proper  amount 
of  moisture  to  the  air,  otherwise  health  must  suffer.     Often  this 
js  overlooked  in  the  use  of  the  hot  air  plant. 

(3)  The  Jacketed  Heater.  This  is  often  referred  to  as 
the  patented  system  of  room  heating  and  ventilating.  It  is  with- 
out doubt  the  most  economical  and  practicable  for  one  or  two- 
room  school  buildings.  I  have  seen  it  used  in  four-room  build- 
ings with  as  much  success  as  the  hot  air  system.  Here  of 
course  the  janitor  service  required  makes  its  use  objectionable. 
To  be  properly  contructed  and  installed,  the  following  condi- 
tions should  be  observed: 

(a)  Foul  Air  Flue.  This  flue  should  be  a  metal  pipe  of 
about  15  inches  in  diameter  located  not  less  than  four  feet  from 
the  shield  and  reaching  to  within  four  or  five  inches  of  the  floor. 
It  should  connect  with  the  chimney  so  that  the  foul  air  may 
mix  with  the  smoke  and  pass  up  and  out.  This  flue  may  also 
be  in  the  chimney  proper  in  which  case  an  opening  would  be 
made  at  the  level  of  the  floor  and  a  device  inserted  to  prevent 
interference  with  the  draft  of  the  smoke  pipe.  In  either  case, 
the  foul  air  flue  must  have  a  cross-section  area  which  allows  a 
square  foot  for  each  group  of  ten  children. 


STATE    OF   NORTH    DAKOTA 


(b)  Fresh  Air  Flue.     It  should  have  the  same  cross-section 
area  allowing  a  square  foot  for  each  group  of  ten  children,  and 
must  bring  the  air  in  between  the  heater  and  the  shield.     A 
piece  of  metal  should  be  used  to  keep  the  cold  air  from  drop- 
ping down  to  the  floor  before  being  heated.     Warm  air  cannot 
be  secured  by  having  the  fresh  air  flue  open  under  the  heater,  for 
the  bottom  of  the  heater  is  cold,  and  the  result  is  that  the  floor 
is  flooded  with  cold  air. 

(c)  Chimney.     The   Chimney  flue  for  the  passage  of  foul 
air  and  smoke  should  be  at  least  18x18  inches  in  the  clear  on 
the  inside.     This  will  provide  for  about  22  pupils  when  a  cross- 
section   area   of   at   least   one   square   foot   is   allowed   for   each 
group  of  ten  children.     The  chimney  should  be  on  the  entrance 
side  of  the  building  as  also  should  the  heater.     This  will  save 
much  labor  and  loss  of  heat,  as  well  as  give  more  blackboard 
space. 

(d)  Heater  and  Shield.    The  stove  should  be  of  the  upright 
variety  and  of  ample  capacity.     A  floor  furnace   may  be  used 
with  success  if  properly  constructed  and  installed.     The  shield 
or  casing  should  be  of  Russian  iron  or  copper  plated  steel  with 
a  lining  of  asbestos.     The  casing  should  be  about  six  inches 
from  the  stove  or  furnace,  and  its  lower  edge  should  be  at  least 
12  inches  from  the  floor. 

(e)  Humidifier.       There    should    be    within    the    shield    or 
casing  an  evaporating  pan  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  the  air 
moist.     This  should  be  carefully  attended  to. 

3.     Closets  or  Outhouses. 

The  outside  closet  in  some  schools  has  probably  done  more 
to  injure  the  health  andWower  the  standard  of  morals  than  all 
other  agencies  combined  that  we  find  in  and  about  the  school. 
The  outside  closet  should  be  forbidden  by  law.  There  is  no 
excuse  for  it  in  this  day  when  for  so  little'  cost  the  inside  closets 
can  be  installed.  It  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  keep  the  outside 
closet  in  a  wholesome  condition.  For  exercise  wlhat  care  you 
will  there  will  be  times  when  they  cannot  be  properly  used. 
For  instance,  inclement  weather  often  prevents  their  use  by 
young  children.  Thus  the  health  and  morals  must  suffer.  Then 
they  are  often  broken  into  after  school  hours,  and  sometimes 
left  in  an  obscene  and  filthy  condition.  These  things  cannot 
happen  if  the  inside  closets  are  used.  However,  we  have  the 
outside  closets  in  practically  all  the  rural  schools  at  the  pres- 


8 RURAL  SCHOOL  SANITATION 

ent  time.    These  evils  connected  with  their  use  can  be  greatly 
diminished  if  the  following  suggestions  are  observed: 

(1)  Outside  Closets.      They  should  be  two  in  number,  un- 
der separate  roofs,  not  less  than  forty  feet  apart  and  to  the  rear 
and  side  of  the  building,  with  separate  means  of  access  by  use 
of  a  board  wall.     They  should  be  sand  painted  inside  and  out 
to  prevent  marking  and  scribbling.    The  doors  should  be  double 
with  the  outside  door  a  sliding  one  to  prevent  damage  due  to 
ice  and  snow.    The  vaults  should  be  deep  and  large  and  should 
be  cleaned  twice  each  year.     Each  closet  should  be  furnished 
with  toilet  paper.     The  boys'  closets  should  be  furnished  with 
ample  urinal  facilities.     Each  should  be  provided  with  a  barrel 
containing  a  mixture  of  earth  and  quicklime  to  deodorize  and 
dry  up  the  excreta.     They  should  be  scrubbed  at  least  once 
each   month   and   swept   clean   each    day   with   some   sweeping 
compound.     The  teacher  should  have  the  keys  to  each,  locking 
them   each  evening  and  unlocking  them   each   morning.     This 
would  insure  personal  inspection  by  the  teacher  at  least  twice 
each  day.    Then  no  loitering  or  visiting  should  be  permitted  in 
or  around  these  buildings,  as  is  too  often  the  case.      The  ap- 
proach  should  be   screened   with   lattice   work   and   shrubbery. 
These  things  can  be  done,  for  I  have  seen  such  within  the  past 
six  months.     For  a  small  sum,  however,  inside  closets  can  be 
had  where  health  and  morals  can  be  protected  in  a  way  not 
now  possible  when  the  outside  closet  is  used. 

(2)  Inside  Closets.     By  moving  the  outside  closets  up  to 
rear  of  the  school  building  and  connecting  them  with  enclosed 
passage-ways  one  form  of  inside  closets  can  be  secured.     This 
has  been  done  and  with  success.    The  same  sanitary  appliances 
should  be  used  as  have  been  suggested  for  the  outside  closets. 
Then,  too,  inside  closets  can  be  built  in  as  a  part  of  the  school 
building  and  provided  with  sanitary  dry  or  liquid  vaults.   These 
vaults  can  be  secured  for  about  $30,  each.     If  the  basement  is 
used  then  this  is  the  place  to  put  the  closets.     If  not,  the  best 
place   is   at   the   entrance   ways   in   connection   with   the   cloak 
rooms.     If  this  cannot  be  done,  then  build  on  at  the  rear  of  the 
building  or  connect  the  closets  already  built  and  use  either  the 
dry  or  liquid  vaults.     Any  of  the  changes  need  not  cost  more 
than  $75.00.     If  the  outside  closets  are  used  it  can  be  done  for 
$25.00.     For  the  sum  of  $350.00  a  well  or  a  cistern,  pressure 
tanks,   a   pump,   an   engine,   and   septic   tanks   can   be   installed 
which  will  flush  all  the  closets  needed.    This  is  the  best  solution 
to  the  closet  problem. 


STATE    OF   NORTH    DAKOTA 


4.     Water. 

Youth  demands  water  and  plenty  of  it.  Yet  this  is  one  ele- 
ment that  the  children  are  often  deprived  of.  Dirty  faces  and 
hands  are  but  the  least  of  the  trouble  in  this  respect.  The  great 
trouble  is  to  get  a  sufficient  supply  of  wholesome  water  for 
drinking  purposes.  The  feverish  haste  with  which  children 
surround  the  drinking  pail  is  evidence  of  this  undesirable  con- 
dition. There  are  several  ways  of  supplying  good  drinking 
facilities. 

(1)  The  Closed  Vessel  and  Individual  Cup.     The  state  law 
now  prohibits  the  use  of  the  common  drinking  cup  in  public 
places,  which  includes  the  public  school.     This  is  a  wise  pro- 
vision.   A  ten  gallon  jar  with  a  cover  and  faucet  at  bottom  and 
the  individual  cups  should  be  furnished  by  the  board.     There 
should  be  a  well  or  a  properly  cared-for  cistern  on  the  premises. 
If  not,  some  pupil   should  be  hired  to  bring  the  water  from 
home  or  from  a  neighboring  farm  each  day. 

(2)  The  Sanitary  Fountain.     This  is  the  covered  jar  with 
the  bubble  faucet  at  the  bottom.     It  should  be  a  12  gallon  jar 
with  a  diameter  of  not  more  than  10  inches  in  order  to  insure 
the  necessary  pressure.     It  is  much  better  than  the  closed  ves- 
sel with  the  individual  cup.    It  costs  more  and  uses  more  water 
usually,  but  it  is  more  sanitary  in  every  way.    The  better  grade 
should  be  purchased  which  costs  about  $20.00. 


5.     General   Sanitary  Provisions. 

(1)  Screens.     Screen   doors   and   windows   should   be   pro- 
vided for  all  schools.    There  is  no  excuse  for  permitting  flies  to 
come  and  go  bringing  and  leaving  disease  germs,  when  screens 
on  doors  and  windows  will  reduce  this  to  a  minimum. 

(2)  Floors.     Floors    should    be    swept    daily    and    mopped 
weekly.     A  sweeping  compound  should  be  used.     The  janitor 
work   should   be    done   by   some   one   other   than   the   teacher. 
Teachers  need  the  time  so  used  for  recreation  in  the  open  air 
or  for  the  preparation  of  and  doing  of  her  'regular  school  work 

(3)  Desks  and  Seats.     These  should  be  single  and  adjust- 
able.   The  best  of  care  should  be  taken  to  see  that  all  the  pupils 
are  properly  seated  so  as  to  prevent  malformation  of  the  body 
in  any  way. 


10 RURAL  SCHOOL  SANITATION 

(4)  Wash  Room.     A  portion  of  the  school  room  should  be 
used  for  a  wash  room.    This  means  that  soap,  wash  basins,  and 
individual  or  paper  towels  should  be  furnished  by  the  district, 
and  that  a  cistern  or  a  well  be  on  the  grounds.    There  are  times 
when   children   can  be   dirty,   and  without   injury  to  health   or 
offense  to  good  taste,  but  not  in  the  schoolroom. 

(5)  Hot  Lunch.     Some  one  portion  at  least  of  the  noon  day 
lunch  should  be  served  hot.    This  calls  for  a  gasoline  stove  and 
a  few  cooking  utensils  which  in  all  need  not  cost  more  than 
$5.00  or  $6.00.     It  also  calls  for  a  little  skill  and  kindly  interest 
on  the  part  of  the  teacher.     Each  family  can  take  turns  in  fur- 
nishing the  material  for  the  hot  portion  of  the  lunch.     There 
are  several  schools  where  such  is  now  done  with  much  success. 

(6)  Recreation.     Next  to  air,  food  and  water,  children  need 
their  hours  of  recreation.    This  means  abundance  of  play  in  the 
open.     The   intermissions   should  be   used   by  the   teacher  and 
pupils  for  the  playing  of  simple  and  wholesome  games.     These 
should  be  played  outside  when  the  weather  will  permit. 

(7)  Medical     Inspection.     Unsafe     or     unsanitary     school 
buildings /should  be  condemned  by  the  county  board  of  inspec- 
tion.    The  responsibility  for  this  lies,  in  the  first  instance,  with 
the  teacher  and  then  with  the  superintendent.     Medical  inspec- 
tion should  be  required  in  all  schools.     The  teacher  should  en- 
courage the  board  to  provide  for  such  inspection  which  the  law 
now  leaves  to  the  discretion  of  the  school  boards. 

(8)  The  School  Building.    To  properly  safeguard  the  health 
of  the  school  children,  the  school  building  should  be  sanitary  in 
all  its  appointments.  This  means  that  what  has  been  said  here  con- 
cerning lighting,  heating,  ventilating  and  closets  applies  to  the 
construction  of  the   school  building.     In  addition  the  "building 
ought  to  be  sufficiently  large  to  allow  at  least  12  sq.  ft.  of  floor 
space  and  200  cu.  ft.  of  air  space  for  each    and  every  pupil.    The 
ceiling  should  be  at  least  12  ft.  in  height.    There  should  be  a  full 
basement  to  provide  for,  among  other  things,  play-room  space 
that  would  be  available  during  inclement  weather.     No  school 
building  should  be  planned  and  built  until  the  plans  have  been 
approved  by  competent  authority. 


4 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
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